The End of Life as We Knew It

H and I realized a life long dream over the summer. We added a child to our family. It was a long frustrating process getting the child. Having the child is an exhilarating exhausting experience.
Everyone says that having a child completely changes your life. H and I intellectually understood that our lives as we knew them were effectively over. No longer were we the center of our universe. Intellectually knowing something and being ready for it are different things.
We expected that we wouldn't go out as much. We knew that our outdoor adventures would be curtailed. We knew that sleep would become a precious resource. We knew that alone time would be scarce.
It has been the little things we didn't expect. We didn't expect that running to the store for a quick errand was a major excursion. It needs to planned so that you go between feedings and that the baby is not already napping. Then there all the supplies that need to be packed into the diaper bag. It takes longer getting ready to go to CVS than it does to drive there and back.
I didn't expect that the egg which has packed two sea kayaks, two bicycles, and enough camping gear for two weeks would be space constrained when taking a trip to the mall. The stroller, diaper bag, and related baby supplies consume the majority of my hatch. The baby seat effectively takes up the back seat because there needs to be a seat next to the baby incase she gets super fussy.
I certainly didn't expect that I would become hyper focused on another person's health. I notice changes in feeding patterns, changes in sleeping patterns, or her general attitude. I watch her breathing for signs of trouble. I notice slight changes all the time.
The biggest change is the amount of joy she brings into our lives. Her smile is enough to make up for a day of crap at work. The silly baby noises she makes are better than a good joke. It is truly indescribable.

TV Box Interfaces

I just got done reading a description of the new Logitec Revue. It sounds impressive. It definitely out does the competition in terms of features and for triple the price it should.
The thing I'm intrigued by is the remote which includes a full on keyboard. The keyboard will make typing in searches easier than the onscreen keyboards used on most TV boxes now. But do I want to use a keyboard to interact with my TV? My gut says no.
What I really think would be interesting is a TV box that let me use my phone or tablet control things. I'm picturing a scenario where the search for content entirely on my remote while the big screen continues to show the real content. When I find the show I want to watch I can then switch the big screen. Browse on the tablet and watch on the TV.

Pete and Mika Rock

I was thinking that every TV show with a boy/girl pairing involves some sort of sexual tension. I'm thinking of Sam & Diane, Mulder & Scully, Booth &Bones, Castle & Becket, even Peter & Olivia. In most cases it works. (Mulder and Scully didn't need tension. It just distracted from the show.) One show that, so far, breaks the rule is Warehouse 13. Pete & Mika are like brother and sister, or just really great friends. They respect and care for each other, but there is no hint that either want more than that. It is great for two reasons: The plot doesn't have to deal with an ancillary detail and it is a great example. In real life men and women work together all the time without falling in love or just into bed.
Let's hope Warehouse 13 doesn't fall into the trap like the X-Files did.

White Kids Cannot Serve

With all the recent blathering over repealing the 14th amendment to prevent anchor babies and forcing immigrants to produce papers on demand, I got to thinking about coffee.
I frequently stop at McDonalds for coffee in the morning and most often I am served by an immigrant. The server is always polite and efficient. Sure I have to occasionally repeat my order, but not too often.
Recently, I've been subjugated to the service of native born Caucasians. The difference is night and day. The natives are terrible. They are rude, slow, and stupid. I always have to repeat my order at least once and am still not guaranteed to get the right stuff. I usually need to double check my change to make sure it is correct.
It terrifies me that these natives get all the advantages without deserving them. I'd prefer interacting with anchor babies over the sample of natives that I see at the McDonalds. At least they are hard workers.
Maybe we should deport lazy natives. Perhaps we should change the 14th amendment so that criteria for citizenship is being native born it is not being a lazy dumb-ass.

Men Who Stare at Goats

H and I finally got around to PPVing this movie after passing it over several times. I'd like to say it was worth the wait. What it was instead was just mediocre Saturday afternoon cable fare. When we didn't get the chance to finish it, we weren't upset.
It is not a terrible movie, it is just not very good. It takes itself too seriously while being chuck full of tired cliches. I think it was meant to be funny by contrasting the seriousness of the story telling with the ridiculousness of the story. Sadly, it just doesn't work.

Sherlock Holmes

We PPVed the new "Sherlock Holmes" over the weekend. I had high hopes for it since I'd heard good reviews and the cast was solid. Downey, Law, and McAdams usually do solid work. I also figured it would be pretty tough to botch Sherlock Holmes.
I was mostly satisfied. The cast does a decent job with a lame story. Holmes and Watson are like an old married couple. They constantly bicker, but you believe the genuine affection between them. Downey is well cast as the hard living, egocentric, difficult Holmes. Law's stoic and tight laced war hero Watson is a good counter to Holmes. McAdams is OK, but doesn't have the chops to equal Downey or Law.
The plot is the real weakness of the movie. The secret society conspiring to take over the world is tired. I also never believed that the bad guys had the gravitas to fool Holmes. The hinting at Holmes' real enemy lurking in the shadows felt like a set up for a sequel instead of a key plot point.
The retooling of Holmes as an action hero worked well for me. In fact, I felt that the retooled Holmes was better for the big screen than the more Victorian Holmes. The action Holmes made the movie more of an escapist flick.
Overall, "Sherlock Holmes" was well worth the six bucks it cost to PPV. It may well have been worth full price if I'd had a rough week at work.

Invisible Shield Failure

Since my iPhone 4 is so pretty, I didn't want to hide it in a cover. I did, however, want some protection for it. The best rated product I could find was Zagg Invisible Shields. They are supposedly clear plastic covers that prevents scratches.
I found them to be a total waste of money. Installing them is a process that is hard to get right. It also involves water.... Needless to say I was totally paranoid for awhile after doing the install.
It made my phone look cheap. It is shiny and the ends didn't lie flat. The edges kept pealing up and I couldn't use a bumper.
The worst part was that it made the awesome screen of the iPhone look crappy.
I cannot recommend these.